Red Dragon Emperor of Ravenous Flames
by Shiranui Amaterasu
Summary: Rias thought she was doomed. She had underestimated Kokabiel and now thousands of lives were going to pay the price. Never in her wildest dreams did the crimson-haired princess imagine that she'd be saved by the Sekiryuutei in a burst of flames.
1. Dragon of Flames

**Disclaimer: I do not own the High School DxD series. **

* * *

It was the absolute worst scenario.

Rias Gremory watched grimly as her precious peerage barely pick themselves up after the brutal assault by the fallen angel Kokabiel.

Koneko's strength had barely fazed him.

Yuuto's speed had been surpassed.

The holy-sword wielder Xenovia with the legendary blade Durandal had been outmatched.

Even the combined magic powers of Akeno and herself had merely scratched the leader of Grigori.

This was the power of someone who was recorded in the bible. Who had managed to survive the three-way war between the angels, devils, and fallen angels. Compared to the fierce battles of hundreds of years ago, the resistance Rias and her peerage had shown were only playful scuffles in the eyes of Kokabiel.

She had never stood a chance.

And now she was going to die. Her peerage was going to die. So would her long-time friend Sona, and her peerage who were valiantly maintaining the barrier around the battlefield. This town and the thousands of lives within it would perish as well. Not to mention the countless number of deaths that would result from the war Kokabiel was hoping to restart.

All because she had failed.

"I had thought that the little sister of Sirzechs Lucifer would have been able to entertain me for a little longer. Alas, you are too young and inexperienced for me have such hopes. Kahahaha!" Hovering in the sky, the ten-winged fallen angel sneered at his injured opponents, taking delight in the dominance he had over them.

Holy light gathered into his hand, forming a large and deadly spear. Casually lifting it over his head, he gave the Princess of Destruction one final glance.

"Goodbye Rias Gremory. Your death will be the spark that reignites the flames of war."

Kokabiel's arm swung down and Rias instinctively closed her eyes.

Despite her pride as the heiress of the Gremory clan, she couldn't contain her fear of death. There was still so much of the world she wanted to see, experiences she wanted to feel, and it was all going to end with an agonizing death by a spear of light…

'_Wait… Is death by impalement supposed to feel so warm and comfortable?'_

Tentatively opening her eyes, Rias discovered a pair of gentle brown orbs gaze worryingly at her.

"Hyoudou… Issei…?"

"Are you okay Gremory-sempai?"

Indeed it was the face of the brown-haired second-year student who had transferred into Kuoh Academy a few months prior.

'_I must be hallucinating… There's no way a normal human like Issei-kun could be here right now…' _

Rias had done a thorough background check on the teenage boy after he had caught her interest, but nothing extraordinary had come up. For all intents and purposes, he was an ordinary orphan who had lost both his parents in an unfortunate accident. The only thing of note was that he was a childhood friend to the holy-sword wielder Shidou Irina, and the girl herself had confirmed that the boy had no knowledge of the supernatural world.

'_What a silly fantasy. To have Issei-kun appear and carry me to safety like a damsel in distress. But…'_

Wrapping her arms around the boy's neck, the crimson-haired princess brought her face closer to the boys own before pressing their lips together.

'_I might as well enjoy it while I can. I always did find him rather cute.'_

"Nyah~ You sure work fast Issei-chin!"

Rias furrowed her brow. That wasn't a voice she recognized.

Removing her lips from Issei's, the Gremory heiress tilted her head to the source of the mysterious voice.

A familiar black-haired nekomata with a mischievous grin plastered on her face met her stare.

'_This is just getting stranger and stranger… Why would Koneko's older sister Kuroka, an SS-rank stray devil be in my fantasy?'_

"Ara ara Buchou, perhaps this isn't the best time to show your feelings?"

'_Akeno too?'_

Slowly raising her hand to her cheek, Rias pinched the flesh hard.

'_Ouch! That hurts… That hurts… So that means…?!'_

Slowly raising her head, the princess's eyes once again locked onto Issei's own and the boy replied with a warm smile. "Ah, I never knew you felt that way about me Gremory-sempai… Um, I don't know how I should properly reply but thank you."

In a split second Rias's face turned red enough to match her hair. Jumping out of the teenager's arms, the usually calm and composed princess found herself completely flustered.

"Ah! Um, I thought- That is-! Dreaming…!"

"Oi! Oi! Who are you to interrupt my fun?"

The gruff voice of Kokabiel brought Rias out of her panic and back into her current predicament. Observing her surroundings in detail, she found that she was several meters away from where she previously stood.

'_Did Issei move me away from Kokabiel's attack?'_

Causally placing his hands into his pockets, the boy nonchalantly glanced at the fallen angel. "You could say I'm a concerned student of Kuoh Academy. You roughed up my childhood friend Irina quite badly, not to mention my fellow schoolmates here."

"Hmph! As if an unknown like you can do anything about it. Perish along with your friends!"

Light once again crackled into existence in Kokabiel's hands, this time with an even greater intensity and Rias immediately turned to warn Issei about the danger. Even if he had somehow saved her from the first attack, Kokabiel was an ancient fallen angel with hundreds of years of experience. His next attack wouldn't miss.

"Issei, that's Kokabiel! You have to r-" Her warning died in her throat when she caught sight of Issei's expression. There was no terror, no concerns of any kind. Only ice-cold indifference.

It was as if he was facing an overly inferior opponent.

The spear left the fallen angel's hand and arced towards the brown-haired boy at supernatural speeds.

And promptly stopped dead, scant inches away from the boy's chest.

His left hand, now covered in a strange red gauntlet, had caught the spear of light in midair.

"Ddraig, triple boost."

[BOOST! X3]

With the odd announcement from the gauntlet, the light spear's intensity increased dramatically. Lifting the charged up weapon, Issei threw it back to the original owner.

Caught by surprise, the leader of Grigori barely managed to dodge his own weapon. Taking a few black feathers from the fallen angel's wings, the spear travelled farther into the sky before exploding in blinding light.

It was Kokabiel who recognized the gauntlet first.

"Boosted Gear?! Then you are the-"

"Current Sekiryuutei Hyoudou Issei at your service."

For the first time since meeting him, Rias saw genuine fear crawl onto Kokabiel's expression.

"The Red Dragon Emperor of Ravenous Flames?! Y-You're supposed to be dead! There were reports of your death after you tried to leave the Khaos Bri-"

"Rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated. Now then Kokabiel, since the little one back home is probably starving and only Asia's looking after her-" At this point nearly everyone gave Issei a strange look, though Rias noted that Kuroka merely giggled. "-I'm willing to give you a one-time offer. Deactivate the spell targeting the town and leave. If you do that, I'll let you keep your life."

Hearing the proposal, Kokabiel's temper flared. Here was a kid who dared to toy with him, a fallen angel who was even recorded in the bible. "Even if you are the Sekiryuutei… YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU BOSS ME AROUND?!"

Seeing his opponent's reaction, Issei sighed. "They never agree with negotiations… Kuroka, set up a barrier. The current one seems like it will fall apart soon."

"Okay, but you'll have to owe me a favour, nya~"

Releasing another sigh of defeat, Issei reluctantly agreed to the terms. "Hai, hai. We can talk about it after we get home. Gremory-sempai? You might want to take a few steps back. It will be dangerous around me but I'll finish this up in a few seconds."

Moving away from the boy as instructed, Rias pondered on the new development. There were so many things that still confused her, such as the appearance of Kuroka and how Issei had managed to hide his identity.

'_Still, if it's true… If he really is the Sekiryuutei… Then maybe we stand a chance…"_

The strange sensation of involuntary transportation seized everyone in the school grounds, indicating the creation of a high-level barrier. As if it was the start signal, both Kokabiel and Issei acted as soon as the sensation settled.

Rias couldn't help but shudder as a wave of overwhelming fear hit every devil in the vicinity. The amount of light gathered in Kokabiel's hands far outstripped anything she had seen thus far, and her devil instincts screamed at her to run away. Not only was the gathered energy enough to vaporize a high-class devil with the merest of touches; it would also wipe Kuoh Academy, perhaps even the whole town, out of existence.

Turning to Issei, the princess fully expected the brown-haired teenager to activate Balance Breaker and don the fabled Scale Mail armour of the Sekiryuutei. To her surprise, aside from his armoured left arm, the boy remained in his Kuoh Academy uniform. Staring unimpressed at Kokabiel's gathered light energy, Issei simply raised his gauntlet in opposition.

"Devouring Flame Barrier."

With just those three simple words, great gouts of flame roared into existence around the boy before converging into a wall of fire. Rias's sharp senses found the conflagration to be anything but ordinary. There was something about the blood red flames that set her off, as if the fire were alive and possessed a primal instinct.

She got the sense that the flames were _**hungry**_.

"DIE SEKIRYUUTEI! PERISH ALONG WITH THESE SHITTY DEVIL TRASH!"

Light collided with fire, and it was as if a miniature sun had been created.

Through the cracks of her fingers used to shield her eyes, Rias caught a glimpse of the two overwhelming techniques clashing. What she saw caused her to gasp in astonishment.

The power Kokabiel had put into his attack had transformed his usual spears of light into something akin to a meteorite. That condensed sphere of light should have been unstoppable, capable of destroying anything in its way.

Yet, the attack couldn't penetrate an inch past Issei's barrier of flames.

As the light made contact with the fire, it appeared to lose its luminosity, fading away into the raging conflagration. In response, the flames grew brighter and larger, more ferocious than before.

The flames were consuming the light.

In less than three seconds, Kokabiel's attack was eradicated.

Seeing the conclusion of the clash, Issei once again raised his left hand into the air. The sound of his fingers snapping together could be heard even above the roar of the flames and as if on command, the inferno twisted itself into a vortex before gathering into his hand. Within a split second, a bright ball of fire gathered into his outstretched palm, no bigger than a soccer ball.

After giving the fireball an unimpressive glance, Issei snorted. "Is that all Kokabiel? You barely fed my flames."

"I-I-Impossible! Even if you are the Sekiryuutei… To stop my most powerful attack without Balance Breaker…?!"

It was a complete reversal of earlier. The ancient fallen angel Kokabiel, who had been gleefully toying with Rias and her peerage, was now being toyed with instead.

"Balance Breaker would be too wasteful for someone like you, Kokabiel. Despite your status as a fallen angel recorded in the bible, you rely too much on your overwhelming power. You lack variety, technique, finesse. Despite your want of want of war, you yourself got complacent."

[BOOST! X5]

The fireball swelled, bloating to the size of a compact sedan.

"For trying to destroy this town and start a war, for trying to kill my fellow schoolmates, for disrupting my peaceful life, and for hurting Irina-chan… I'll have you _burn_."

The inferno enveloped Kokabiel before he even had time to say his final words. A firestorm, appearing for only an instant, before dissipating into nothingness.

There were no bones, no ashes, no scorch marks of any kind. Not a trace of the ancient fallen angel remained. If she had not witnessed it herself, Rias would not have believed that such powerful being had been killed here.

The princess shuddered. Those flames had possessed so much power, yet the boy had been able to control it to such a degree that it left no traces.

'_Just how strong are you Hyoudou Issei?'_

The person in question turned to Rias, a warm smile once again plastered on his face. "It's a little late, but are you and your peerage uninjured Gremory-sempai?"

After seeing such an impressive display of power, the innocent question caught the princess by surprise. "Y-Y-Yes! We're f-fine!"

"Great! I'm sure you have a lot of questions right now but-"

The cat ears on Kuroka's head suddenly twitched, catching the boy's attention. "Ah, there's a naughty dragon spying on us, nyan."

Hearing that, Issei palmed his face and groaned in frustration. "You can come out now Vali, we know you're here!"

Answering the teenager's call, the sky twisted and a winged figure in white armour abruptly appeared. The radiant white plate armour studded with jewels, the eight wings of light, and the pressure felt from the figure's mere presence. Everyone recognized the newcomer instantly.

The Hakuryuukou. The eternal nemesis of the Sekiryuutei.

"I finally found you, Issei."

"Vali. You have a special reason to be here? Or is it just for me?" Issei's previously lax attitude had all but disappeared. Every muscle in his body had tensed up, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Hi Hakuryuukou~! It's nice to see you again nya~!" Kuroka on the other hand shared none of Issei's sentiments.

Wholly ignoring the carefree nekomata, Vali remained entirely focused on Issei. "I was sent to take care of a certain wayward fallen angel, but since you've apparently done the job for me-" The White Dragon Emperor's form disappeared, before reappearing directly in front of his counterpart in a combat stance. "-how about we settle our match now?"

The panic that had faded since Kokabiel's death came flooding back for Rias. Not once in history had the Sekiryuutei and Hakuryuukou met and not fought to the death.

'_If they fight right here, right now, the whole school- no, the whole town will be destroyed!'_

There was nothing Rias could do about it. Even if both her and Sona's peerages were in top form, she doubted they could create a barrier strong enough to contain two Longinus wielders' powers. In their current exhausted state, evacuating themselves to safety was difficult enough.

"No."

'_What…?!'_

"I don't have time today Vali… And even if I did, the condition isn't ideal right now to settle our grudge."

The Hakuryuukou looked ready to object, but abruptly stopped himself. "I see… Hmph, indeed it wouldn't be interesting if we fight now."

Taking into the air, Vali turned to Issei one last time. "Are you taking good care of her?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Receiving the reply to his mysterious question, the Hakuryuukou left, flying deep into the night sky.

Seeing Vali depart, Issei started walking towards the school exit. "Let's go Kuroka. Gremory-sempai, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

The pair disappeared before any of the devils could think to stop him.

xxxxx

The walk back to their house was unusually quiet for the dragon cat duo. Normally the mischievous nekomata would have been clinging to Issei's arm by now, putting his restraint to the test with innuendo after innuendo. But tonight, the girl walked a pace slower than the boy, her usual impish personality replaced by one of melancholy.

And Issei knew exactly why.

"Kuroka, are you sure you don't want to speak to your sister?"

The question caused her to pause. With a forced smile on her face, Kuroka returned the question with another. "Hm~? What do you mean?"

Although it was difficult to tell from appearance alone, Rias Gremory's Rook, Toujou Koneko, was actually the little sister of Kuroka. The two had become separated after Kuroka supposedly gone berserk, killing their old master and forcing her to flee the underworld. Left behind and scorned by the devils for her sister's actions, the younger nekomata had grown to hate her older sibling.

The truth behind the incident was more complicated.

"I'm sure… if you take the time to explain-"

"It doesn't matter."

"Eh…?"

"No matter what my excuses are, it doesn't change the fact that I almost got Shirone executed. Besides… Shirone isn't a kitten anymore; she doesn't need her Onee-san."

"You shouldn't say that."

Issei's voice had become weary, surprising his companion.

"…You're her only family left in this world. Even if she harbours hatred against you, I'm sure there's a part of her that misses you... Take my advice Kuroka, reconcile with her while you still can. In this turbulent world, you never know when the chance may disappear…"

"Issei…" The black-haired nekomata understood that the last part was directed to the both of them.

"Enough with the depressing talk! Let's hurry home! I don't want to know what that girl would do to my house if I starve her any longer." Grabbing Kuroka's hand, the brown-haired boy broke into a run, dragging the girl along.

Stumbling to match the sudden increase in speed, Kuroka's melancholy slowly faded away.

xxxxx

"We're back!"

Issei's announcement barely left his mouth before the sound of rapid footsteps rebounded down the hall. Even with the advance warning the boy barely had enough time to brace himself before a black missile latched onto his legs.

Looking down, Issei's eyes met a black-haired little girl dressed in a Gothic Lolita outfit. While the girl was largely expressionless, Issei had known her long enough to understand that she was a touch annoyed.

"I, am hungry."

It was hard to believe that this little girl was actually the second most powerful being in the world, the Ouroboros Dragon Ophis.

Without a second thought, Issei bent down and patted the Dragon God on the head. "Sorry about being late Ophis, something came up at school. I'll start making dinner soon okay?"

Hearing another set of footsteps, Issei glanced down the hall to see a blonde-haired girl around the same age as himself. The girl, seeing Issei's return, smiled cheerfully. "Issei-san, welcome home! Ah, I'm sorry about Ophis-chan. She ran out before I could stop her."

Asia Argento, a former nun who possessed a Sacred Gear capable of instantly healing wounds. Issei had rescued her from a group of fallen angels after she had been excommunicated from the Church.

Lifting the little Dragon God off of Issei, Asia proceeded to carry Ophis back to the living room. "I'll keep Ophis-chan occupied then while we wait for you, Issei-san."

"Thanks Asia!"

Watching as the former nun cart the Ouroboros Dragon away like a misbehaving child, Kuroka snickered. "Ophis-chan sure has opened up a lot, nya."

"Mn. I'm happy to see her change from her past self… But, I'm not entirely sure of the bad habits she's picked up from you Kurok- Whoa?!" The brown-haired boy stumbled, barely managing to steady himself from a bad fall.

Kuroka was immediately worried. "Are you okay Issei-chin…?"

Wincing a little, the boy waved the concerned nekomata away. "I'm fine… Just tripped on the step. Can you lay out the tableware Kuroka? I need to run back to my room and get changed."

Without even waiting for a reply, Issei hurried down the hall.

xxxxx

Safe in the privacy of his own room, Issei finally released his façade. Gritting his teeth, his entire body began to convulse. The pain that had been blooming inside his body since the end of the battle finally sapped the last of his strength, sending the boy crumpling against the wall.

Mustering all of his remaining willpower, Issei slowly raised his trembling left arm to eye-level. With his breathing strained and erratic, his voice came out as weak rasping.

"Ddraig… How bad is it?"

[…]

"Ha… Haha… That bad huh…? How pathetic… For me to be reduced to this state… after only a few spells…"

[Partner… It's a miracle for you to even be alive right now… The amount of damage you suffered that day, not to mention receiving Juggernaut Drive's curse… You shouldn't look down on yourself.]

"…That day…"

The day he left the Khaos Brigade.

_It was supposed to have been simple. The hardest part of the plan, that of discretely moving Ophis to the safe house, had already been completed thanks to the surprising help from Vali. All Issei and Kuroka had to do was fend off any pursuers before going into hiding. _

_Being the Sekiryuutei and one of the strongest members within the organization, Issei had naively believed the task to be easy._

_Unfortunately, it was the Hero Faction who decided to hunt them down._

_Instead of some weak opponents, Issei and Kuroka suddenly found themselves facing against three high-tier Longinus wielders, one of which was the True Longinus. The Sekiryuutei was pushed to his absolute limits just to survive. _

_And then a scream echoed through the air, chilling Issei to the bone. The scene he witnessed was forever burned into his memories. _

_Kuroka, his mischievous but faithful companion and friend, lay deathly still on the ground. The nekomata's favoured kimono was torn apart near her ribs, revealing the jagged wound marring her flesh. _

_But worst of all was the blood, dripping onto the ground into an expanding crimson pool._

_Issei lost it._

_He ignored the mist that blocked all his attacks. He ignored the spear that ripped apart his armour. He ignored the undying monsters that gnawed at his flesh. _

_He ignored everything, and focused on his __**rage**__._

_From then his memories were hazy and fragmented, but Issei partially remembered a chant about destruction and denomination, and the power that had coursed through his veins afterwards. _

_The tables had turned._

_His mighty roar dispersed the irritating mist. His claws shredded the monsters apart to microscopic pieces. His armour grew thick enough to stop even the mighty spear dead cold. _

_He immersed himself in the hate, the wrath, the rage, and went on a rampage. It wasn't about avenging Kuroka anymore; it was about tearing apart anyone foolish enough to be around him, staining his claws crimson with the blood-_

Something soft pressed onto his side, breaking Issei from his reverie. A warmth soon permeated throughout his body dulling the pain to a tolerating level and slowly, his convulsions died down. "Issei-chin, you shouldn't hide that you were in pain."

Issei groaned as the warmth intensified, unconsciously leaning towards the nekomata. "…I didn't want to worry you."

For the next few minutes, the two just sat silently in the dimly lit room, embracing each other.

"Kuroka?"

"Nya?"

Unusual for him, Issei hesitated before proceeding. "I don't want to think about this, but you can see the symptoms for yourself. I need to prepare for the worst. If… If I'm not here anymore, I want you to look after Asia and Ophis. I don't want either of those two to fall back to the type of people they were with before. I'll be leaving everything I have to you so money shouldn't be a problem either. As for the Khaos Brigade, get in contact with Vali. He may be a battle maniac, but he will protect you."

"…"

"Kuroka…?"

"…"

Kuroka had tilted her head down hiding her face behind a curtain of dark tresses. Her cat ears were flattened against the top of her head and her twin tails were unusually still. Seeing this, Issei assumed that the silence meant she had refused his request.

Before he could say anything else though, Kuroka pounced on top of him. Taking advantage of his weakened state, the nekomata easily knocked him to the floor before locking all of his limbs under her own. With her face so close to his own now, Issei finally noticed the trace of tears in the corner of her eyes. "You're so cruel Issei."

"E-Eh?"

"Even a stray cat has a home to return to. Are you looking to deprive me of mine?"

"No! But we have to look at this realistically! If something happens, Vali can-"

"Vali wasn't the one who took me in! Vali wasn't the one who opened up his home to me! Vali wasn't the one who accepted me despite all my sins! You are Issei! You're the one who picked up this stray cat when no one else wanted her, so you need to take responsibility!"

Tears rained down on Issei's face, as the nekomata let loose her emotions.

"…Kuroka…"

"Don't just give up Issei… Don't take my home away…"

Issei was stunned. He and Kuroka had been together for years now, and they were no doubt close; but he had never imagined that Kuroka had thought of him this way. Freeing one of his arms, he reached up and embraced the nekomata. "…Hey, I haven't said I'll give up yet. I will fight this curse as long as this body still breathes. Nothing is set in stone so don't cry anymore Kuroka; I like it better when you're smiling."

The boy ran his hand soothingly through Kuroka's long black tresses causing the girl to nuzzle his neck. Slowly, her sobbing died down.

"You feeling better?"

The boy felt her nod against his neck.

"That's good."

Kuroka hesitantly peeked up from where she buried her face, now feeling more embarrassed from showing such a display of emotion. That feeling intensified tenfold when Issei grinned innocently at her, causing her cheeks to flush a deep red. Restraining herself from hiding her face again, Kuroka stared deep into Issei's eyes. "You promise…?"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

"Issei-chin, I'd like to cash in that favour you owe me now."

"Hm, right now? Okay, as long as it's within my limits, I'll grant you your wish."

"Nyan, let me preform Bouchujutsu on you."

"Bouchujutsu…?" Issei tilted his head, unfamiliar with the term.

This time, the nekomata's eyes gave a glint not from tears, but from the mischief she was planning. "Mhm. You know how my Senjutsu can affect someone's life-force directly, right?" Kuroka released a bit more of her aura, enveloping Issei in pleasant warmth as a demonstration. "Bouchujutsu is just an… advanced technique, nya… that maximizes Senjutsu's healing properties by using a closer connection between the user and patient. I'm sure Issei-chin will feel _very good_ after I use Bouchujutsu."

"Um, are you sure you want to use up your favour for that, Kuroka? It seems to benefit me more than you." Seeing her nod (with a devilish smile that sent alarm bells ringing in Issei's head) and with no good reason to decline, the boy reluctantly agreed.

"So how do we- WAH! W-W-What are you doing Kuroka?!"

Issei's mind broke down when the nekomata began to shrug off her kimono, revealing that she did in fact forgo any underwear. Her flawless skin was now in full view, seeming to glow under the dim lighting of the room. And right there, released from their restraints and bouncing freely were-

'_Oppai!'_

Fully aware of the boy's staring, Kuroka purposely leaned forward, emphasizing her impressive chest. "Nyahaha~ I'm glad Issei-chin likes what he sees~!"

Kuroka's voice managed to snap Issei out of his daze, though he still had to exert quite an effort to look away from her assets. "K-Kuroka, n-n-not that I d-don't appreciate this, b-b-but why are you…"

The boy's voice died when the nekomata seized his hand before slowly trailing it down her body, focusing on each and every one of her curves. Giving him a positively sultry stare, Kuroka answered his unanswered question. "Isn't it normal to be naked when having sex? Of course if you want to do costume play, I don't mind~"

"S-S-S-Sex?! B-B-But w-what about B-Bouchujutsu?"

Giggling, Kuroka pressed herself flush against his body. "Issei-chin is rather slow nya~ Senjutsu is more effective when increased physical contact is made. It's why I embrace you when I'm using healing techniques. Bouchujutsu is the pinnacle of Senjutsu healing arts because it's used when a man and woman are 'one', in other words sexual intercourse nya~"

"But-"

Abruptly, the nekomata's eyes glistened with tears again and both her cat ears and tails drooped. "I-Is my body unsatisfactory…?"

Issei's last modicum of self-control disappeared and he shot forward, capturing the nekomata in a searing kiss. When the two finally separated for air, no trace of the girl's previous depression remained, replaced entirely by an impish smile.

"You tricked me!"

"Does it matter, nya?"

"…No."

With that, the two immersed themselves in their throes of passion.

xxxxx

Though it was well into the night, Issei was still wide awake in his bed contemplating the recent events.

After the 'healing session' with Kuroka, Issei faced his most challenging opponent of the day.

A hungry Ophis.

The little humanoid dragon had been quite upset at him for delaying dinner even longer without informing her and Issei had to clear out his fridge to appease her. That, and a promise to take her to several confectionary shops.

He felt his wallet weeping already.

When he felt it was time to turn in for the night, Kuroka had ambushed him in his room for another 'healing session'. He hadn't put up much of a fight against that idea.

The girl slept in his bed now, snuggled against him and naked as the day she was born. Issei couldn't resist rubbing the top of her head and watching her cat ears twitch adorably. _'Just like a lazy cat, sleeping peacefully after a particularly filling meal.'_

Quietly, as to prevent waking his lover, Issei called to his partner. "Hey Ddraig, be honest with me. How much longer do I have?"

[…Your 'sessions' with the girl have been helping but… the results are too slow. Juggernaut Drive's curse is exceedingly potent and the human life-force was never meant to take such damage. If you were to avoid combat entirely and reduce strain on your body to a minimum, I'd wager you would have five years remaining. Realistically, it's closer to five months… I'm sorry partner…]

"I see…"

Feeling Kuroka stirring from the noise, Issei remained stock still and watched as his lover unconsciously nuzzle against his chest before settling again. Double checking that she was in fact asleep, Issei continued his conversation. "Ddraig, can I ask for your opinion?"

[Of course.]

"After my parents died, I've done some things that I'm not particularly proud of just for power; joining the Khaos Brigade especially. Despite all the sins I've committed, do you think it's selfish of me to wish for a longer life? To be able to spend more happy moments with everyone?"

[Partner… I've been trapped in this Sacred Gear for a long time and have had numerous hosts before you. Barring two, each and every one of my past hosts has wished for the same thing: overwhelming power, and eventually fell victim to Juggernaut Drive's curse. Though you were subjected to the same curse, you managed to reject Juggernaut Drive. You saved that nekomata over there and showed a Dragon God that there was more to the world than silence. No partner… your wish is hardly selfish.]

His partner's thoughts put Issei's mind at ease. "Thanks Ddraig."

Glancing at his lover again, the boy smiled brightly. "That's right, I promised Kuroka that I would fight this curse until the end. I should just handle this like all my other problems."

Raising his left index finger into the air, a tiny flame burst into existent on the tip of the digit.

"If the curse stands in my way, I'll just find a way to burn it to ashes."

* * *

AN: And I'm back!

I apologize if there are excessive grammar issues. I've haven't written anything for half a year now and this (maybe) one-shot is mainly to get myself use to writing again. Still I hope some of you enjoy it and I look forward to any feedback. If you want to continue this (maybe) one-shot, give me a PM beforehand and I'll give some additional details that I haven't included here.

For those who are following IS: Resolve, I'm starting to work on it now and should have it out in 1-2 weeks (crossing my fingers). Sorry for the long wait, I'll try to make up for it with the new chapter. As I haven't been keeping up with my PM's for the past few months, if you have sent me a PM that I haven't answered yet, please resend it and I'll get back to you ASAP.


	2. Cat Meets Dragon

**Disclaimer: I do not own the High School DxD series.**

* * *

In the middle of an uncharted forest, a lone girl stood stock-still. The girl's appearance was rather peculiar: a pair of black cat ears, matching her raven hair, protruded from the top of her head, and a pair of similarly coloured tails peeked out from under her tattered and bloody tunic. She was a nekomata, a cat demon from Japanese folklore, and she was currently entranced by her blood-stained hands.

'_Nya… I lost control again…'_

It had been a week since she had learned of her master's plot to use her little sister in an experiment. A week since she had killed her master and fled from the Underworld. A week of slaughtering devils left and right, looking to hunt her down. A week spent struggling in search of food and shelter.

She was tired.

Her cat ears twitched and the sound of leaves rustling caught her attention. Kuroka immediately strengthened her senses through Senjutsu and detected several life signatures nearby. There was no mistaking it, they were after her.

'_No rest for the wicked nya.' _Kuroka crouched low on the ground, just like a cat prepared to pounce on her prey. Not a single a single one of her muscles twitched as the sound of movement got closer and closer.

When the nearby foliage was pushed aside, revealing a menacing red armoured figure, the nekomata leapt into the air without hesitation. Her palm, covered in the pale white aura of spirit energy, thrust towards the armoured figures chest. Armour or not, her Senjutsu enhanced fighting style would deal crushing damage both externally and internally.

Or at least, it should have.

Her palm thrust slammed into the armour plating but her opponent didn't budge an inch; it felt like she had hit the side of a mountain. Noticing her attack's ineffectiveness, the nekomata flipped into the air using her opponent as a springboard, before landing again in a crouched position.

"Sekiryuutei-sama!" All around her, magic circles sprung into the air as nearly a dozen men and women stepped out of the foliage. Despite the lethal magic pointed at her, Kuroka was not worried; she was faster after all. Both of her arms flung out wide and sent multiple blasts of energy to those targeting her.

Only to be intercepted by a wall of flames that appeared from nowhere.

'_What the hell is going on nya?' _This was the first time anyone blocked any of her Senjutsu enhanced attacks. Taking a closer look, those attacking her were magicians, not devils and the one in red armour... _'Sekiryuutei… Could that be one of the Longinus wielders?!'_

The fire disappeared and the magicians re-armed their magic circles. Before Kuroka could prepare a counter, the armoured figure spoke for the first time.

"**Stand down, I'll handle her myself."**

The men and women immediately disengaged their magic and stepped back. "H-Hai! As you command Sekiryuutei-sama!"

Kuroka seethed at the man's arrogance. If he was looking down on her, than he would regret it! Exhaling deeply, the nekomata immersed herself in the natural energy of the world. The ki within her bubbled violently and her body began to change. The fur on her cat ears and tails bristled, her nails turned into claws sharp enough to carve down a tree, and her pupils constricted until they were mere slits. Touki, an aura created by one's own life energy, wrapped around Kuroka's form, strengthening her body beyond its natural limits.

The power came at a cost though. With the excessive use of Senjutsu, Kuroka had also taken in too much of the malice and ill will floating in the world. Her mind had been overcome by the negative energy and she was now running on instinct.

She became a berserker.

"Nyaaaaaa!" With a guttural battle cry, Kuroka darted forward. In a blink of an eye, dozens of Senjutsu enhanced energy bullets crashed into the Sekiryuutei. Before the dust could even settle, Kuroka barreled into the chaos, claws swinging to finish off her opponent.

[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]

A pair of red gauntlets adorned in green jewels rose up in a guard, and her claws screeched futilely against the metal. **"Senjutsu… It's as dangerous as they say."**

For the second time that day, Kuroka retreated. Putting more than a dozen meters between them, the nekomata gathered vast amounts of aura into her hands before swiping them in the direction of the Sekiryuutei. White energy erupted from her claws, easily cutting through several trees that were in its path towards the armoured man.

For the first time since the battle started, the Longinus wielder countered. Red flames condensed around his gauntlet before he let loose with his own ranged strike. The fire claw flew through the air and met the ethereal white claw, causing an explosion large enough to flatten several more trees in the area.

"**But there is nothing my flames cannot burn."**

Before Kuroka could react, the smoke in front of her blew apart and the armoured figure of the Sekiryuutei was in front of her in a flash. A fist, covered in strange green fire, smashed into her stomach and a heat wave seemed to wash over her body. All of a sudden, all her strength abandoned her and her body went limp. It was like the strings attached to a marionette had been cut, as Kuroka collapsed onto the ground.

With the weakness though came clarity of mind. _'W-What just happened, nya?'_

Unable to even reposition her head, Kuroka could only helplessly watch as several pair of boots stepped closer to her. "We'll handle it from here Sekiryuutei-sama."

'_So this is how I die… Defeated by a Longinus wielder and finished off by a bunch of lousy magicians…' _Unable to keep her emotions in check, tears began to trail down her face. _'I'm sorry Shirone…'_

"**Stand down… She'll be put under my custody."**

'…_Nya…?'_

"B-But Sekiryuutei-sama?! Our orders are to exterminate the stray devil Kuroka! Why would you-"

"**And my orders are for you to stand down and prepare to return to base! Or are you going to disobey me?"**

"N-N-No! Of course not! T-Then as you c-command Sekiryuutei-sama, w-we'll prepare the teleportation circles."

The last thing Kuroka felt before she succumbed to exhaustion was the Sekiryuutei picking her up with surprising gentleness.

xxxxx

For the first time in a long time, Kuroka woke up cozy and warm. The soft futon and quilt was a thousand times better than the hard ground she put up with for the past week. It was pleasant enough for her to release her inner cat nature and just sleep in…

'_Wait…'_

The raven-haired nekomata immediately bolted out of the futon, all sleepiness blown away. The last thing she remembered was being captured by the Sekiryuutei and that meant she was currently in enemy territory. Scanning her surroundings, Kuroka found herself in a small Japanese style room, complete with tatami flooring and sliding doors. Judging by the sunlight streaming in from the window, it was either late morning or early noon.

'_How long was I out nya?'_

The sliding door abruptly opened, startling her. She half expected to see the imposing red armour again but was surprised when a young brown-haired boy greeted her instead.

"Oh, you're awake! You slept for so long I was afraid you might have been hit too hard… Are you hungry? I made some breakfast, hope you don't mind classic Japanese fair." The boy didn't wait for her reply and proceeded to lead her out of the bedroom by hand.

So surprised with the boy's friendly demeanour, Kuroka didn't even try to resist. Moments later, she found herself sitting in front of a table laden with grilled fish, miso soup, natto, and rice. The boy happily sat across from her and picked up his chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!"

She sat there for a few seconds, staring as the boy devoured his food. _'What am I doing here nya?!'_

Having enough of the nonsense, Kuroka slammed her hands on the table before standing up. The boy finally noticed her declining mood when the table shook. "Hm? Are you not hungry?"

Wholly ignoring him, the nekomata marched towards the open doorway leading to the porch. Unminding her lack of shoes, she stepped onto the grassy yard and took her first look at her outer surroundings.

By scent alone, Kuroka could already tell that she was nowhere near where she had passed out. Judging by the lack of pollution though, her current location was still rather remote and the blue skies overhead meant that she was most likely in the human world. Stepping further into the lawn, she could see that the entire manor was surrounded by trees.

'_A Japanese house sitting alone in the middle of a forest… how odd nya.' _Still, the remoteness of the location would work to her advantage. She could easily slip into the wilderness and suppress her presence, and with so many trees and foliage obstructing the view, getting away would be child's play. Taking another step towards the treeline, towards her freedom, Kuroka was again surprised by the boy's voice coming from directly in front of her. "I'm afraid the forest is off limits."

'_When did the boy get in front of me?!' _Despite her bewilderment, she didn't allow any of it to slip into her voice. "Oh? And who's going to stop me? Surely not a little boy like you."

The brunette fumed and aggressively pointed his finger at her. "I'm not a little boy; I'm eleven years old now! Besides, I stopped you once I can do so again!"

'_Stopped me once…?'_ Kuroka suddenly had an epiphany. _'Don't tell me this boy is…'_

"You're the Sekiryuutei nya?"

The boy puffed up his chest proudly. "Hn hn! That's right; I'm the powerful Red Dragon Emperor!"

"Nyahahaha~!" She couldn't hold it in any longer. The little boy, barely reaching her chest in height, proclaiming to be the giant armoured figure she had fought with was utterly ridiculous.

The boy naturally didn't take her laughing very well. "Grrrr! See Ddriag? This is why I'm always in armour when I'm travelling… Boosted Gear!"

[Stockpile! Boost!]

All humour left the nekomata, when a familiar red gauntlet materialized over the boy's left arm. _'N-Nya?! This can't be?! That boy's barely older than Shirone!'_

The boy's earlier warning suddenly became all the more serious.

"Now, as I was saying: the forest is off limits. My subordinates are stationed nearby and though you are under my protection, if they find you in the forest, they won't hesitate to kill you."

"I can take care of myself nya. If any of them dare go after me, I'll just rip them apart."

The boy sighed. "And I can't have that either. Despite their attitude, they are still my subordinates and I can't just let them be killed."

Kuroka's eyes narrowed. "So you're going to get in my way nya?" Boy or not, Sekiryuutei or not, Kuroka was determined to escape. She couldn't afford to be imprisoned here, to no doubt be experimented on for the powers she held before being left to rot.

Seeing the nekomata tense up, the boy raised his hands defensively. "How about we make a bet then? If you can get one solid hit on me, I'll let you go free, no strings attached. If you fail to do so though, you'll have to listen to me for the rest of the day. I'll even restrict myself from using balance breaker."

It was odd. The boy (Sekiryutei?) had enough power to stop her forcibly, yet here he was making a childish bet. There were no benefits for him at all and the conditions were heavily stacked in favour of her.

Kuroka wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth though.

"How long do I have nya?"

"As long as you're able to keep going."

A grin appeared on the nekomata's face. "Deal."

As soon as the word left her mouth, Kuroka's palm was inches away from the boy's head. The brunette barely managed to react in time, ducking under the attack before awkwardly jumping to the side to avoid a three hit combo. Compared to his balance breaker form, the boy's speed was dreadfully slow and Kuroka's attacks were rapidly closing in on him.

[BOOST! X4]

The green jewel on the boy's gauntlet glowed brightly before fading away. A small part of Kuroka's mind took note of the changed Roman numeral displayed on the jewel, but ignored it for the most part to put up a guard.

When the boy remained immobile, Kuroka's curiosity was peaked. Boosted Gear was a sacred gear allowing the user to increase their power exponentially, yet the boy wasn't using it to attack her…

Taking the opening, Kuroka pumped ki into her legs and increased her speed even further. In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance between the two of them and opened up with a double claw strike.

Only for the kid to casually tilt to the side, avoiding the attack. Her follow up leg sweep was similarly hopped over, and even the elbow thrust hidden within a two hit feint was dodged with apparent ease. Kuroka's sudden inability to hit the boy was beyond frustrating until the answer dawned on her. _'He boosted his reaction speed!'_

Realizing that close combat was now futile, the nekomata switched tactics. A dozen balls of spirit energy formed around her before shooting towards the brunette. Having spread out the attack in such a way as to prevent dodging, she prepared to counter the boy's defensive magic.

She didn't expect her projectiles to just phase through his body.

'_Illusions too?!' _She had gotten too careless, thinking the boy to be a mere power type.

Delving deeper into her Senjutsu techniques, the spirit energy began to speak to her. Now that she was focused, Kuroka noticed the increase in temperature creating the mirage image of the boy. Scanning her surroundings, she immediately sent multiple blasts to her left where a large amount of aura had gathered.

"Wah!" Seemingly from thin air, the boy reappeared, diving out of the way of the projectile barrage. Kuroka wasn't kind enough to give him a reprieve and gathered even more spirit energy to attack with. A split second later, dozens upon dozens of energy bolts rained down on the brunette.

[BOOST! X3]

A barrier of flame engulfed the boy, just in time to save him from Kuroka's assault. The rain of projectiles crashed violently against the supernatural fire, but only seemed to fuel the flames. When the barrage finally died down, the flames dissipated, revealing the boy to be entirely unharmed.

Kuroka's patience ran to its end.

Gathering even more power from her surroundings, malice and hatred began to taint her mind once again.

For the first time since the bet began, the boy went on the offensive.

[BOOST!]

A familiar green flame covered the boy's gauntlet and before she even realized it, the boy had plowed the green flame into her stomach.

Like last time, the green flamed seemed to burn through all of her energy. The boy quickly grabbed onto her as Kuroka's legs lost all strength.

"N-Nyaa…"

Gently propping the nekomata against a nearby tree, the boy kneeled in front of her. "Do you concede?"

"…" A futile attempt at moving her arm later, Kuroka reluctantly nodded her head.

"Great! Ah, I never introduced myself! I'm Hyoudou Issei, what's your name onee-san?"

"…Kuroka."

"Kuroka huh… It suits you."

"…"

She tried hard to ignore the warm feelings the boy's compliment evoked. No one had ever complimented her name before…

A grumbling sound suddenly pierced the silence, and a faint blush tinted her cheeks. A cheeky grin grew on the boy's face before he laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Alright then Kuroka, let's go finish breakfast!"

xxxxx

Well into the night, Kuroka laid on her futon staring aimlessly at the ceiling and pondering her situation. Contrary to her belief, the boy, Issei, hadn't done anything undesirable to her at all. If anything, she was treated like a house guest, albeit one who is imprisoned.

_Having finished breakfast and recovered some of her strength, Kuroka found herself lead to the living room of the house. _

"_So, what do you usually do to pass the time?"_

"…_Training."_

"_No, I mean for fun?"_

"…" _She hadn't had any time for fun since she was a kitten. Especially since her mother died, leaving only her to take care of Shirone._

_A frown appeared on Issei's lips. "Nothing at all? Reading? Listening to music? Sports? Video games?"_

"_Video… Games…?" Confusion spread across her face as she sounded out the unfamiliar words. Issei on the other hand had shock written all over him. It was as if he had discovered a never before seen creature._

"_S-Surely you've heard of it right? You know, classics like Mario, Dragon Quest, or Final Fantasy? What about Pong?!" By now, the boy had grabbed onto Kuroka's shoulders, shaking her as he listed each game title._

_Honestly, the eleven year old was starting to scare her._

"_N-No!"_

"…" _Shadows covered Issei's eyes as he finally released the nekomata. Without another word, the boy marched over to one of the cabinets and began to rummage through the shelves. Finding his target, the boy placed an odd box-like object in front of her before pointing at it._

"_This is the Famicom, also known in the west as the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES. This beautiful box revolutionized the video game industry and provided millions of children and adults alike hours of entertainment. And this-" Now he waived a rectangular block in front of her face. "-is the original Super Mario Bros. game. This little gem sold over 40 million copies over its lifetime and is one of the best-selling games of all time. Today you will discover the joy of the gaming world."_

The two of them had spent the rest of the day playing video games and as much as Kuroka denied it, she found herself having fun…

Still, as much as the boy's true motives confused her, she couldn't stay here. Expanding her senses, she made sure Issei was still asleep before slipping out of her room.

Since it was past midnight she technically honoured their bet. After all, she had only promised to listen to him 'for a day'.

Stepping onto the lawn, a sudden rustling of grass made her freeze. Turning to the source of the disturbance, Kuroka was relieved when she saw a tiny orange salamander. Ignoring the creature, she proceeded towards the forest once more.

Unbeknownst to her, doing so was a mistake.

"I know you only have to listen to me for a single day but can't you wait for a more reasonable hour before trying to escape Kuroka?" Standing by the porch, Issei was trying hard to suppress a yawn. Sitting on his shoulder was the same orange salamander she'd seen earlier.

"Tch! So the salamander is your familiar nya."

"Yup. More importantly do we have to do this now? Can't you wait till, I don't know, ten in the morning, before we do this? I like my sleep."

"Then keep sleeping and let me leave."

"Huah… Then shall we go at it again? Same terms as last time." With a wave of his arm, the red gauntlet appeared again.

Kuroka shifted into a battle stance before summoning Touki to strengthen her body. This time she won't underestimate the boy; she'll go all out from the get go.

xxxxx

Much like her first and second fight with the Sekiryuutei, Kuroka lost when Issei summoned forth the strange green flame. Undeterred though from her failure, the nekomata attempted another escape on the third day of her imprisonment… and the fourth day… and the fifth day…

By the end of the week, it wasn't just about escaping anymore. It was also a matter of pride for her as a nekomata. Kuroka was determined to hit the boy at least once.

Before she knew it, three weeks had passed and the 'bet' had become a daily ritual before breakfast. Each morning, the nekomata would challenge Issei to a fight, and each morning she would need to be practically carried back into the house for breakfast. After regaining her strength, the Sekiryuutei would then show her a new pastime and the two would spend the rest of the day having 'fun'. Sometimes it would be something as mundane as reading a new book or playing a board game and other times, the two tried more physical activities, like table tennis or soccer. Then there were the days where Issei hyperactively showed off a new video game. When night fell, the two would sleep in their respective rooms and the whole process would repeat itself the next day.

It was odd. Imprisoned as she was, Kuroka had more freedom then she ever had before. Unlike the past, the nekomata didn't need to constantly watch her back. She had adequate shelter and clothing, and she was well fed every day. There were no obligations and no master to answer to. In fact, her stay in the Hyoudou residence had been the most comfortable she had been in her life.

But that was the crux of her growing depression. She didn't deserve this comfort. Not when she deserted Shirone to an unknown fate. For all Kuroka knew, her little sister could be starving in the cold, while she was indulging herself in luxury.

Eventually, Issei couldn't write off her odd behaviour as an act of rebellion against her capture and confronted Kuroka when she had stopped eating after just a few bites. "What's wrong? You've hardly eaten anything."

"…I'm not hungry." She ignored her gnawing stomach protesting otherwise. The nekomata had been pushing herself even harder during their fights, often to the point of self-injury. Combined with her recent voluntary starvation, Kuroka's general health had taken a plummet.

The Sekiryuutei had an idea of the cause, but wasn't sure how to touch upon the delicate subject. In the end he decided to just be blunt. "Starving yourself won't help your sister in any way."

That instantly got her riled up. Violently slamming her hands onto the table, the nekomata inadvertently snapped the piece in half and sent food flying everywhere. Not caring for the sudden chaos, Issei remained sitting in his seat as if nothing had happened.

"What do you know nya?! I went through hell protecting my only family and gave up everything in order to guarantee her safety! What have you gone through?! You're just some naïve boy who has lived comfortably all his life with no hardships!"

Stepping over their ruined lunch, Kuroka aggressively lifted the boy into the air by his collar. "Well?! Aren't you going to say anything?!"

Calmly removing her hold on him, Issei nonchalantly dusted off his clothes before turning away from her. "I'm going out for the afternoon. Watch the house for me."

That was the last straw.

In an instant, Kuroka's claws lunged towards the boy's heart, full of killing intent.

But Issei was faster. A flash later, the little boy's form was replaced by the towering red armour of the Sekiryuutei. Her attack bounced harmlessly off the armour plating and a counter punch was sent towards her face. Kuroka clenched her eyes closed and braced for the pain.

Except, instead of the blunt force trauma she was expecting, a single tap to the forehead was all she felt before the familiar warmth of the green fire once again sapped her strength.

Dismissing his armour, the boy propped Kuroka against the wall before addressing her. "Don't just assume that I've had an easy life… I'll be back by dinner, stay here like a good cat."

xxxxx

"…Nya…?" The scent of grilled fish slowly aroused Kuroka from her sleep. Her muscles were sore from the odd position she had slept in and the nekomata spent a few moments stretching before opening a bleary eye. As her blurry vision steadily focused, she managed to make out the rough form of Issei. "Ugh… What time is it…?"

"9:30, you've been sleeping for quite a while."

"I see…" Suddenly, the argument from earlier that noon came rushing back to her mind and Kuroka instantly jolted awake. "YOU-"

The words died in Kuroka's throat as she got her first good look at the scene in front of her. It wasn't the dining table laden with food and restored to pristine condition which surprised her; it was the physical appearance of Issei.

In all the fights she had with him over the past three weeks, the nekomata had been unable to even scratch the boy. Yet, right in front of her eyes, the eleven year old was covered in large dark bruises and appeared to be completely exhausted.

Issei sipped his tea before holding up a file folder. "I have information about your sister."

That instantly caught her attention.

"After your escape from the underworld, your sister was captured and was about to be executed-"

"WHAT?!"

Issei raised a hand to stop her. "-_was_ about to be executed until Sirzechs Lucifer himself interfered. Lucifer put her under his protection and got his own little sister, Rias Gremory, to care for her." Passing the file folder to her, Kuroka opened it to find pictures of Shirone being hugged by a girl with crimson red hair. "Last I heard, your little sister has become the Gremory heiress's Rook and taken the name of Toujou Koneko. As you might know, the Gremory Clan is known for their great affection towards those they consider family… She's completely safe now."

Joy, along with a myriad of other emotions welled up inside the nekomata as she processed the information. Sorting through the various photos, she froze when she saw one of little Shirone softly smiling. Against her will, droplets of tears plopped onto the photo.

"…T-Thank you…"

The boy grinned. "No need to thank me. It's information about your family. It's only right for you to know."

Standing up with a little difficulty, Issei limped towards the hall. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. The contacts I met in the underworld talked quite_ enthusiastically_ and I'm completely worn out. Take the time to eat dinner and rest yourself."

xxxxx

After that night, Kuroka's relationship with Issei changed significantly. Their previous warden-prisoner atmosphere shifted to one of amicable housemates. With just six months of time, Kuroka's personality had done a shocking 180. The cautious, untrusting, easy to anger nekomata was gone, replaced by a mischievous, fun loving, and occasionally lazy cat.

But those weren't the only changes Kuroka was going through.

"Issei-chin?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have any more clothes in a larger size nya? My old ones are a little small now, especially around the chest." The nekomata tugged irritably at her collar, temporarily relieving the pressure on her developing breasts. Secretly, Kuroka enjoyed the way Issei's eyes lingered on the strained fabric of her tunic.

No matter how hard he tried to hide it, the nekomata had found out rather quickly that the boy harboured quiet an interest in the female body. Still, she pretended to be oblivious of the fact.

It was just too fun making him panic.

"Nya? Issei-chin you there?"

"Gya?! R-Right! Clothes! U-Uh… I-I guess it's about time to go shopping..." The boy rubbed the back of his head while blatantly averting his eyes. "And I do want to pick out a few new games…"

And that's how Kuroka found herself visiting a human civilization for the first time in years.

"Remember Kuroka, I'm making a special exception for this trip. Don't go too far away from me and absolutely keep your nekomata traits in check. Got it?" The girl absently nodded, too enthralled by the new sights and sounds. While this wasn't her first time in a human settlement, it was her first time in a metropolis with modern amenities.

Though he sighed at her inattentiveness, Issei was smiling inside at her happiness.

Noticing something in the corner of his eyes, Issei suddenly came to a halt in front of a seedy looking bookstore. The boy spent a few seconds just staring at the entrance, with an expression as if he was debating over a life or death situation, before turning to his companion. "Kuroka… I'm just going to pop in that store for a few seconds… Don't stray too far okay?"

A glint appeared in her eyes as she saw another opportunity to tease. "Nya? Why don't I come with you? I don't mind browsing through some books."

That instantly had the boy panicking and the nekomata had to stifle her giggling as he waved his arms wildly. "N-No! I-I mean, y-you're looking f-for new c-clothes right? I-I wanted to uh, g-give you a chance to… look around the clothing shops first!"

"Well, if you insist."

Issei sighed in relief. "W-well… Here's some money. Take your time and look around, I'll find you later." Looking over his shoulder several times to ensure that Kuroka wasn't following him, the boy finally entered the shop.

After getting the laughter out of her system, the nekomata decided on following Issei's advice and began browsing through the local shops. Most of the modern fashion was too bright for her tastes and the majority of the clothing didn't click with her. Kuroka spent some time just walking past shop after shop, giving them only a single glance through their display windows. Finally, one item caught her interest. The materials were of high quality and the design allowed her to move unrestricted. Not to mention…

The nekomata went into the shop and immediately purchased several versions of the garment before donning her favourite.

Meanwhile, Issei was using his limited sensing capacities to track down his companion. While it wasn't the smartest idea to let his pseudo-prisoner/housemate to run around unchecked, he trusted Kuroka to not run away. That and he just couldn't resist…

Clutching a bag tightly to his chest, the boy giggled in a perverted manner before berating himself. It was hard enough tracking the nekomata using his feeble skills without getting distracted.

The Sekiryuutei eventually found himself in front of a small shop and raised an eyebrow inquisitively upon discovering its specialty. Shrugging, the boy entered the shop and was immediately stunned by what he saw.

"How do I look nya?"

Wrapped in a pitch black kimono and yellow obi was Kuroka. The nekomata though wasn't wearing the garment properly, allowing the black fabric to slide down her shoulder and revealing a large portion of her chest. Combined with the pair of cat ears that the she had out, Issei's mind temporarily melted.

The other reason Kuroka had chosen this was due to the similarity to some certain books she had found hidden in a secret compartment. It had been a little difficult keeping the kimono on her body but a light application of magic fixed the problem.

"The- Ah, oppai… W-wait! Wait! Wait! K-Kuroka, c-cat ears?!"

"Hm? What are you talking about? This is just cosplay nya?" Indeed the pair of cat ears on her head was attached to a black headband. "And you still haven't answered my question. Do you like it?"

The wide-eyed kitten stare clinched the deal and the boy's mind short circuited again.

Yes, she was keeping this kimono.

xxxxx

Kuroka had learned a lot about Issei in one and a half years. He was a boy who possessed quiet an interest in certain parts of the female anatomy despite his attempts to hide it. He could also be classified as an otaku, spending much of his free time reading manga, watching anime, or playing video games, especially if the aforementioned media contained 'adult' content. But most of all, he was a boy who possessed a compassionate heart.

He was also an absolute monster in combat.

One's first impression of Issei was often misleading. While his physical traits are impressive for a human, compared to most supernatural beings, it was sorely lacking. This was particularly true when examining his magic capabilities. The boy possessed an abysmal amount of magic within his body and his abilities in using magic were paltry at best. One could say his only good attribute was an exceptionally high affinity with fire, but that was practically worthless when combined with his pitiful magic reserves.

In summary, if one were to look purely at Issei's base abilities, they would assume that he would be harmless.

Issei was anything but harmless and Kuroka knew that better than anyone else.

Physically, Kuroka was nowhere near the top-tier levels of the supernatural world, but as a nekomata and devil hybrid, her strength and speed were many times greater than a human's. Using Senjutsu and activating her Touki would increase her abilities exponentially.

But despite her massive advantages over humans, Issei was able to match her in strength and speed in every one of their fights. By using his sacred gear, the boy could increase his physical attributes to Kuroka's normal levels with three boosts and overwhelm even her Touki aura with five to six boosts.

Magic wise, the nekomata should have held the definite advantage. Her magic reserves were enormous due to being reincarnated as a devil with the Bishop piece and her natural traits as a nekoshou nekomata. She was also considered a genius in using devil magic and youjutsu, and she could reinforce those spells by combining it with her Senjutsu. Compared to Issei's own magic abilities, even excessive use of Boosted Gear would have been unable to match her prowess.

Yet, that was what happened in every one of their bouts. The reason laid in the fire magic he utilized. It was unlike any fire Kuroka had ever seen before and appeared to feed on magic. A small fireball, no larger than her fist, could 'burn' an entire barrage of her strongest magic, forcing her to expend more and more energy in order to overcome Issei's defences. The worst part was that the fire would grow stronger the more it fed, and Issei could reuse the flames to counter attack. This was not even factoring in the wide variety of other odd fire spells the Sekiryuutei could use, or the power ups provided by his sacred gear.

It was scary to think that she fought the boy while he was in Balance Breaker form.

Still, this didn't deter the nekomata in the least in challenging the boy to a spar every morning. It was honestly good exercise and improved on her combat skills. That, and she was insistent on landing a solid hit on the boy one day. Kuroka didn't even have to worry about going berserk thanks to the green flames that Issei could use, so she freely used Senjutsu at her leisure.

And like every other day, she was determined to win today's spar.

The heavy aura of Touki had been covering her body since the beginning of the fight but the boy, using his impressive dodging skills to buy time, had since boosted his physical attributes to match hers. Now able to stand on more equal footing, the two exchanged dozens of ferocious blows, neither achieving anything more than glancing hits.

At this point, Kuroka would usually switch to ranged magic, but this time around, the nekomata had a trick under her sleeve. Using the rare times where Issei was away, Kuroka had been secretly training in the space-time techniques granted to her from Senjutsu. Though she hadn't mastered space control yet (and time was completely out), she could still create simple barriers.

And that's what she employed now.

With sweep of her hands and a burst of magic, Issei's movements instantly halted. Bewildered, the boy discovered the source of the problem when he felt the resistance on his limbs from four circular energy barriers.

"Barriers?!"

Kuroka gave him no reprieve and took advantage of the opening. Leaping into the air, the nekomata converged on the boy with razor sharp claws extended.

With little time left, the boy was forced to use the crudest method in order to release himself.

[Boost! X5]

Increasing his physical attributes even further, the Sekiryuutei broke out of his restraints with pure muscle strength before rolling to the ground to avoid his opponent's attack and countering with a kick.

Issei immediately noticed something wrong when he noticed the grin on the nekomata's face. When his kick phased through his opponents body, the boy realized he'd been tricked.

Hundreds of magic circles suddenly manifested all around him, trapping the boy in a dome of symbols. Issei only had a split second to react.

[Boost! X7]

Just as Kuroka's magic circles all released their deadly payload, a wall of red flames sprung up around the boy. The fire barely managed to cover the boy before the deadly magic beams collided with the blazing barrier, engulfing the surrounding area in huge firestorm.

When the inferno finally died down, Issei was revealed to be unhurt though seemingly exhausted.

This was what Kuroka had been waiting for, the result of her plan in countering Issei's fighting prowess.

Over the course of their time together, the nekomata had noticed a pattern: in all of their spars, the boy avoided using large amounts of boosts successively. Having powered up using five or more boosts, Issei would always refuse to use another large power up for around ten seconds, unless in dire situations. Kuroka theorized that there would be strain on his body if her were to do otherwise.

And she was right.

Though she had used up the majority of her reserves with the barrier shackles and the large magic barrage, the nekomata had finally trapped Issei in a corner.

Dropping her illusion and seemingly appearing from thin air, she once again pounced at the boy. Tired, Issei barely managed to bring his gauntleted arm to guard.

His eye's expanded when Kuroka appeared to phase through his limb once more.

From behind, the real Kuroka appeared and launched a punch infused with the last of her energy. The Touki covered fist dug into Issei's back and launched the boy into the air before he came crashing painfully into some trees.

Kuroka stood stock-still and stared confused at her outstretched fist. _'That… That worked? I-I hit him nya?'_

And then she realized that she had just hit the boy with a potentially lethal blow. "ISSEI?! Are you alright?!"

Rushing to the crumpled boy, the nekomata was relieved when she heard the boy groan. "Ugh… That is one mean haymaker you have there Kuroka…"

In a reversal of positions, Kuroka was now the one helping Issei stand up. Though in rough shape, the boy smiled widely at the nekomata. "Since you've landed a solid hit on me, you're can finally take your leave huh?"

She stiffened after hearing him. She had been staying in the Hyoudou household for so long that she had forgotten the original reason for these morning spars.

"Honestly speaking, I could have let you leave a year ago. The orders to hunt you down on our side had long been cancelled… I kept you from leaving though since I wanted to make sure you would be safe."

"Nya?" That didn't make sense to her at all.

"Hm? You haven't noticed yet? In all our fights in the week, you haven't gone berserk at all. I'm pretty sure you can use Senjutsu now without consequence. Even if you didn't say anything, I knew you felt bothered by it."

His words struck deep inside her, sending a warm feeling into her chest. _'W-Was that his plan all along? Were all those fights just for me to master my Senjutsu nya?'_

"But you're free to go now Kuroka. None of my men will stop you and I won't chase after you now."

"…"

"Kuroka…?"

Without another word, the nekomata disappeared from right in front of Issei.

xxxxx

After seeing his former companion disappear into thin air, Issei sighed wistfully. _"She must be angry with me… After all I basically lied to her for a year and kept her as a prisoner…"_

From their first meeting one and a half years ago, he had been entranced by the look in her eyes. Those hazel orbs steeped with loss and loneliness haunted his very soul, a reminder of his own soulless stare after the death of his parents. He had decided then and there that he would protect that her no matter what consequences came about.

And maybe he was a little selfish too… His time with the Chaos Brigade had left him yearning for companionship. Sure he had subordinates, and they respected him without a doubt, but he could never rid their fear of him. Kuroka had also been the first person he interacted with in years that was anywhere near his age group. For the first time in a long time, he had someone to converse with, to share his hobbies with, and to be friend with.

For one and a half years, he felt truly happy.

But now Kuroka was gone and he was all alone again.

Trailing his feet, the boy dejectedly walked back to his empty house.

"You're slow Issei-chin! I'm hungry!"

'_Great, I'm already having hallucinations of her…'_

"Issei-chin? Do you hear me? I want grilled fish for breakfast."

'_Hu… How pathetic am I…"_

"Nyan, earth to Issei-chin!"

'_It hasn't even been one minute since I- OW!'_ A sharp pain on his cheek jolted the boy from his thoughts. Rubbing the sore flesh, the boy automatically reprimanded the culprit. "What the hell was that for Kuroka?! That seriously… hurts…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"K-KUROKA?!"

Pinching his cheeks again, Issei confirmed that he indeed was not hallucinating and that the nekomata was currently standing right in front of him.

"Did you think you'd get rid of me that easily Issei? I warn you, it's hard to kick out a stray cat once she's marked her territory."

"T-Then what's with the whole disappearing act?!"

"Nyahaha! That was punishment for lying to me! I also wondered what Issei-chin's depressed face would look like but I didn't expect to see your crying face as well, it's quiet cute~!"

He'd been tricked again!

Despite his irritation though, Issei grinned warmly at the 'return' of his companion.

"Welcome back Kuroka."

* * *

AN: Hello folks! As you can see I've decided to continue this little story. I won't promise fast updates since my main focus is on my Infinite Stratos story, but I'll try to work on this whenever I can.

I've chosen to write this story like a series of interconnected one-shots (if that makes any sense). This chapter focused on the past and explained how Kuroka met Issei, though I think I rushed the ending a bit...

Anyways, here's a sneak peak at the next chapter (no guarantees that it will remain the same):

[Partner, you do realize this will most likely consume your remaining life span?]

"I know Ddriag, but this is the only way I can keep my promise. I will gamble everything on this one shot... Besides, don't you want to settle this match as well?"

[Hmph... Reckless to the end. But that's what makes you interesting after all. Let's show that white one our power.]

"That's the spirit! Balance Breaker: Boosted Gear Scale Mail armour!"


End file.
